Chinese Birds: The Complete Guide to the Birds of China

China is huge. It stretches from snow-white Tibetan Himalayas to the Yangtze wetlands, from Xinjiang deserts to the Yunnan forests. China traverses all the habitats. And that comes with a bird diversity that has no parallel. The question that comes to our mind is, what Chinese birds inhabit the nation? The answer is thousands.

China has over 1,300 species of birds. There are the mundane ones like the sparrow and magpie. There are cosmic birds like the red-crowned crane and crested ibis. Chinese birds in general leave their mark in history, culture, and all spheres of life. Chinese birds inhabit the fields of art, literature, and myth and legend, and have roles to play in the ecosystem.

This book is a journey into the realm of Chinese birds. You will find favorite species, precious rarities, migrant visitors, cultural significance, and conservation matters on them. Anyone who is a visitor, bird-watcher, or just an enthusiast, Chinese birds are heaven without limits.

Favorite Chinese Birds

Eurasian Tree Sparrow
China’s everyday bird. Brown-white with black cheek spot. Everywhere in towns, cities, and countryside. Everyday and friendship are represented by sparrows.

Common Magpie
Aspian black-and-white bird with very long tail. Lucky bird species for wealth and prosperity. Vocal, opportunistic, and social bird.

Light-vented Bulbul
Extremely broad range in south China. White spot of forehead and creaking calls. Frequent visitor of gardens and town parks.

Oriental Turtle Dove
Soft brown-feathered dove with typical cooing. Common town and rural village dweller.

Barn Swallow
Migrant and common. Blue skies with birds passing overhead over fields and rivers. Chinese Barn Swallows are a harbinger of good domestic life and spring.

Endangered and Rare Chinese Birds

Crested Ibis
Almost extinct, but now lives moderately. White bird, red head, and hooked long bill. A real symbol of hope for Chinese birds. Is found most usually in Shaanxi Province.

Red-crowned Crane
Stately and tall and rare. In Chinese literature and art as a representation of nobility and longevity. In northeast Chinese wetland.

Black-faced Spoonbill
Pregnant but recovering. Identified by spoon-billed bill. Breeds in coastal wetland.

Baer’s Pochard
Rare duck. Once widely distributed, now extremely rare with habitats lost.

Tibetan Eared Pheasant
White bird in Tibetan mountain forest. Red and black stripes. Flexible to survive in mountains in cold weather.

Migratory Chinese Birds

China is an overland stopover of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. Millions of birds migrate annually.

• Siberian Crane: Poyang Lake marshes as wintering grounds. 
• Oriental Stork: River, lake routes followed during migration. 
• Northern Pintail: Common migrant duck. 
• Yellow-browed Warbler: Green, small, energetic, flying in woodlands. 
• Amur Falcon: Thousands of miles flown, resting in China temporarily.
  

Chinese migratory birds highlight China’s world position as a bird protector.

Birds of China’s Mountains

• Golden Pheasant: Stunning blue, gold, and red. Central mountains of China. Chinese favorite to represent. 
• Blood Pheasant: Himalayan residents. Red-striped appearance, strength symbol. 
• Himalayan Monal: Iridescent blue-green appearance. Also “nine-colored bird.” 
• Snow Pigeon: Gray and white Tibetan high altitude dove. 
• Chinese Monal: Only comes as far as China, stunning metallic colors.
  

Mountain birds are tough and beautiful, surviving the rough conditions.

Birds of Chinese Wetlands

Wetlands are lifelines for waterbirds. Thousands depend on Yangtze River, Poyang Lake, and mudflats of the coast.

• Great Egret: White, stylish, tall wader. 
• Great Cormorant: Black waterbird widely exploited by man for fishing. 
• Mandarin Duck: Coloured, attractive, symbolic. Chinese symbol of love and fidelity. 
• Swan Goose: Long-neck wild and domestic goose. 
• Common Moorhen: Small black waterbird with red and yellow bill.
  

Chinese Forest Birds

Jewels of China’s forests:

• Chinese Hwamei: Sweetly singing, famous bird. Brown with white stripes around the eye. 
• Fairy Pitta: Coloured “jewel of the forest”. 
• Blue Whistling Thrush: Dark blue with yellow spots, ear-shattering whistles. 
• Chinese Bamboo Partridge: Elusive bamboo jungle bird. 
• Yellow-throated Bunting: Small, sun-bright bird, seen along woodland-edged streams.
  

Chinese Birds and their Cultural Significance

Chinese birds are where tradition comes alive.

• Cranes: Symbol of immortality and superior status. 
• Magpies: Symbols of happiness and good fortune. 
• Mandarin Ducks: Symbolize love and wedlock. 
• Swallows: Thought to be omens, as long as they are connected to spring. 
• Owls: Sometimes thought to be omens, and sometimes thought to be guardians.
  

Chinese birds also have metaphorical use in embroidery, poetry, and painting as figures for human emotion and desire.

Table: Chinese Birds of Significance

Protection of Chinese Birds

China’s rising development is endangering the habitats of birds. Wetlands are dehydrating. Trees are being cut down. Rivers and lakes are being polluted. Conservation is also increasing.

National parks nowadays have delicate birds like pandas and cranes. Bird sanctuaries across China maintain wetlands. The bird variety has ecotourism. Chinese bird life relies on government and public action.

Fun Facts About Chinese Birds

• Red-crowned crane dances to woo. 
• Golden pheasants can fly but do not like to. 
• The magpies are everywhere and are utilized in wedding arrangements. 
• The cormorants had a collar over their necks such that when they fished, they did not swallow big fish whole. 
• The Mandarin ducks are monogamous and their love is the theme for ten thousand poems.
  

FAQs About Chinese Birds

Q1. China’s most popular bird?
The red-crowned crane, the paragon of beauty and longevity.

Q2. Do Chinese birds migrate?
Yes. Millions of birds follow the East Asian–Australasian Flyway.

Q3. Is the Mandarin duck indigenous in China?
They occur naturally in East Asia but are introduced elsewhere.

Q4. Crested ibis’ protected status?
It was nearly extinct but now under protection.

Q5. Where do I find Chinese birds occurring naturally?
Poyang Lake, Yangtze wetlands, Tibetan plateau, and Yunnan forests are a certainty.

China is one of the richest countries on the planet in terms of birds. From the countless sparrow species to the red-red crowned cranes, Chinese birds turn the sky, rivers, trees, and mountains red. They top landscapes and season the flesh of culture.

And what are Chinese birds distinctive? In their diversity, their symbolism, their longevity. From celebratory magpie to love duck, from ibis with such minute details to immortal cranes, they populate the greater world and human imagination.

Bird utopia for bird enthusiasts, work order for natural conservators – that is China. The Chinese birds put us in remembrance of nature’s majesty and the fact that it was created for all.